Marc Pion

Marc Pion

Born	(1996-04-03) 3 April 1996 (age 28) Montreal, Quebec
Nationality	Canadian
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	195 pounds (88 kg)
Shoots	Left
Position	Defense / Midfield
NCAA team	Harvard Crimson Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
NLL draft	59th overall, 2020 Philadelphia Wings
Coach	McGill University
Career highlights
2018 Big Ten Champion Academic All-Big Ten

Marc-Antoine Pion-Frégeau (born 3 April 1996) is a Canadian former professional player with the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and current coach for McGill University.^[1] He played collegiately for Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University, where he was the first French Canadian NCAA Division I lacrosse player, before being drafted by Philadelphia in the 4th round, 59th overall in the 2020 NLL Entry Draft.^[2][3]

Background and education

Marc Pion was born in Montreal, Quebec, and attended Collège Jean-de-Brebeuf, before studying at Harvard College.^[4][5] He graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Political Economy.^[6]

Early life

At Brébeuf, he rose to prominence as one of Canada's best lacrosse players and was widely regarded as the top defenseman in the country.^[7][8] Following secondary school, he was scouted and recruited to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he was named a USA Lacrosse All-American and Under Armour All-American.^[9][10][11] He is regarded as one of the best lacrosse athletes to graduate from IMG Academy, alongside Tehoka Nanticoke, Ben French, and Drake Porter.^[12]

In a 2014 article in Inside Lacrosse, he was described by Tim Murdoch as "having the best potential as a defenseman of any player he has ever coached".^[7]

University and professional career

In 2015, Marc Pion joined the Harvard Crimson, becoming the first-ever Québécois Division I lacrosse player.^[13][14][3] In 2015, he was also ranked the #51 freshman and #13 defenseman in the nation.^[15] After suffering repeated lower-body season-ending injuries, he maintained three years of NCAA eligibility.^[16]

After Harvard, Pion played for the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays, where he played in 14 games and won the 2018 Big Ten Championship.^[17][18] At Johns Hopkins, he was named a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and Presidential Fellow.^[19][20]

Following his collegiate career, Pion was drafted in the 4th round, 59th overall by the Philadelphia Wings in the 2020 NLL Entry Draft.^[2][21] He signed with the Wings in October 2020 and was selected to the Wings' final roster following training camp.^[22][23]

He has served as Assistant Coach of the McGill University men’s lacrosse team since 2023.^[24]

Personal life

Since the end of his NLL career, Pion has been recognized for his work in international business, diplomacy, and actively leading projects on Canada-US national security, international affairs, and the defense industry.^[25]

In 2024, it was announced that he was elected a Senior Researcher and Honourary Fellow of the Policy Insights Forum, a leading Canadian think tank.^[25] He also serves as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for NATO's Transatlantic Emerging Leaders program.^[26]

References

1. Reese, Eric (27 October 2020). "Wings Extend Charbonneau; Sign Two Rookies In October". phillysportsnetwork.com. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
2. "Philadelphia Wings Add Eight Players To Roster At 2020 NLL Entry Draft". Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse (Press release). Retrieved 28 July 2024.
3. Limoges, Vanessa (10 August 2015). "Université Harvard: un premier Québécois recruté par l'équipe de crosse". Journal Métro (in French). Retrieved 28 July 2024.
4. Hylton, Kamal (6 March 2014). "Marc-Antoine Pion to add Canadian flavour to Harvard Lacrosse". The Toronto Observer. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
5. "Harvard recrute un ancien du collège Jean-de". Brébeuf (in French). 11 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
6. "Policy Insights Forum | TEL Members". www.policyinsights.ca. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
7. "Recruiting Roundup: Canada Rising - Class of 2014 Sophomores". Inside Lacrosse.
8. "IMG Academy Lacrosse Reloads After First Season". Inside Lacrosse.
9. "Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Game North, South Rosters". Inside Lacrosse.
10. "American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Boys Lacrosse Team". USA TODAY High School Sports. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
11. "ALL-USA Boys Lacrosse: Honorable Mention". USA TODAY High School Sports. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
12. "2023-24 IMG ACADEMY BOYS LACROSSE PRESS KIT" (PDF). IMG Academy.
13. "Senior Standouts Look To Lead Men's Lacrosse to Bounce-Back Year". Sports. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
14. "Men's Lacrosse Introduces Eight From The Class of 2019". Harvard University. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
15. "2015 Power 100 Freshmen Rankings".
16. Jastrzembski, Chris (27 July 2017). "College Crosse Prospectus: Former Harvard Defenseman Transfers To Johns Hopkins". College Crosse. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
17. Fitzgerald, Justin (5 May 2018). "Maryland men's lacrosse falls to Johns Hopkins, 13-10, in Big Ten title game". Testudo Times. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
18. "Marc Pion - Men's Lacrosse". Johns Hopkins University Athletics. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
19. Condry, Paul (10 June 2020). "Big Ten Recognizes Spring and At-Large Sports Academic All-Big Ten Honorees". Regional Radio Sports Network. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
20. Rouleau, François-David (7 November 2020). "Au cœur de la recherche à Johns Hopkins". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
21. Reese, Eric (19 September 2020). "Introducing the Philadelphia Wings 2020 Draft Class – Philly Sports". phillysportsnetwork.com. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
22. "NLL Transactions".
23. Philadelphia Wings [@nllwings] (2 December 2021). "Introducing your 2021-2022 Philadelphia Wings!". Retrieved 1 August 2024 – via Instagram.
24. "Marc-Antoine Pion - Men's Lacrosse Coach". McGill University Athletics. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
25. "The Policy Insights Forum Announces Marc Pion as the Think Tank's Newest Senior Researcher | Policy Insights Forum (PIF)". www.policyinsights.ca. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
26. "Policy Insights Forum | Experts | Marc Pion". www.policyinsights.ca. Retrieved 29 July 2024.